The "slim and lite" Sony Playstation portable (PSP) was released in the UK in September of 2007. It is a third lighter than the previous incarnation of the PSP and 19% thinner. It also boasts double the memory.

Over 16 million colours can be displayed on the 4.3 inch screen and it's rendering of 3D graphics is comparable to the PS2. With nearly 200 games currently available it is a top-drawer handheld gaming device, but also doubles up as an excellent multi-media device.

PSP Slim & Lite Prices Sony PSP Slim And Light Ceramic White £129.98 In Stock Price Checked 29/02/2008 Sony PSP Slim & Lite £129.99 In Stock Price Checked 29/02/2008 Black Sony PSP Slim & Lite Console Base Unit £129.99 In Stock Price Checked 29/02/2008 Sony PSP Slim & Lite White or Black £129.99 In Stock Price Checked 29/02/2008 Sony PSP Slim & Lite White £129.99 In Stock Price Checked 29/02/2008

The new unit is currently available in ceramic white or black and is powered by a Lithium Ion Rechargeable battery, supplied with the pack. The battery can be charged while installed in the PSP via any powered USB port or just by plugging the PSP into the power using the supplied power lead. The supplied battery fully charged lasts approximately 3-6 hours when playing games, or approximately 3-5 hours when viewing videos.

The PSP features a high-capacity UMD Disk drive with hundreds of UMD movies available to buy and play on your PSP. A Memory stick duo slot is also present on the unit. Memory sticks currently come in sizes of up to 8GB and are required to save game progress or if you wish to store music or other files for play on your PSP.

MP3, .wav, .wma, ATRAC3 music files can all be played on the PSP as can UMD and MPEG-4 video files. You can purchase an extra piece of software from Sony called Media Manager for PSP and this allows you to easily manage, convert and transfer files from and to your PC to your PSP.

With the unit's WiFi functionality, you can get on-line using the system's internet browser or play head-to-head games. You can also update the system software from the HOME menu when you have set up an internet connection. Registering for the PLAYSTATION®Network allows you to access free on-line content or play on-line games (internet access required) and the PLAYSTATION®Store allows you buy games and videos to download to your PSP via a PC.

If you also own a PS3 you can use the Remote Play feature of the PSP to wirelessly access your music, image and video files on your PS3 and display them on your PSP. If your PS3 and your PSP are both connected to the internet you can also do this remotely.